Tag: rams injuries

Sean McVay shares positive injury update on Cobie Durant for Week 16

Cobie Durant missed the Rams’ Week 15 win over the 49ers but he could return this weekend against the Jets

The Los Angeles Rams were forced to face the San Francisco 49ers without their top cornerback in Week 15, losing Cobie Durant to a chest injury the week prior against the Buffalo Bills.

Durant has been outstanding in coverage all year so his absence hurt the secondary, but Ahkello Witherspoon stepped up and played well opposite Darious Williams.

Sean McVay provided an update on Durant’s status for Week 16, telling reporters on Monday that he’s trending in the right direction ahead of the Rams’ game against the Jets this weekend. It sounds like he has a real shot to play against New York, which is big for the Rams considering how talented the Jets’ receiving corps is with Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson.

Assuming Durant returns against the Jets, he’ll be the starter on one side with Williams likely manning the other cornerback spot. Witherspoon played well enough against the 49ers to earn more playing time, but Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have a void in the secondary for him to fill.

Rams 2nd-year OLB Nick Hampton out for season with torn pec

Rams OLB Nick Hampton’s season is over after tearing his pec on Thursday against San Francisco.

The Rams suffered a big loss to their special teams unit when it was announced OLB Nick Hampton tore his pectoral muscle in the win over San Francisco. Such an injury will force the second-year veteran to undergo season-ending surgery, a devastating end for a player who has carved out an important role on the team.

Hampton, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of Appalachian State, served the team primarily as a punt protector. While it’s unclear what caused the injury, the team will put Hampton on injury reserve. Opening up a roster spot, the Rams could sign someone to replace Hampton.

If they choose to reinforce a different position, the Rams could potentially deploy rookie Brennan Jackson to replace Hampton. Both players have similar skill sets and Jackson’s recorded 40 time was within .11 seconds of Hampton.

How special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn handles this situation will be interesting as this is the first major injury suffered by the special teams unit this year.

Sean McVay shares update on Tyler Higbee’s status for Week 14 vs. Bills

Rams TE Tyler Higbee may have to wait a bit longer to make his 2024 debut

Tyler Higbee returned to practice for the first time last week since tearing his ACL and MCL in January, but it was never realistic that he’d be active in Sunday’s game after such little practice time.

There was hope that he could return for Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills but Sean McVay’s update on Monday threw cold water on that idea. McVay said that while Higbee has exceeded everyone’s expectations in his rehab and recovery from a significant knee injury, he most likely won’t be ready to go this week, either.

McVay once again used the phrase “less likely than likely” that he plays on Sunday, indicating that the Rams will probably be without him for at least another week.

Higbee has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp and though he can be activated at any time, the Rams want to take it slow with their veteran tight end.

With Colby Parkinson, Hunter Long and Davis Allen all healthy and contributing, they don’t want to rush Higbee back before he’s fully ready.

Puka Nacua didn’t get hurt on his TD catch. He just ‘threw up’ after landing on the ball.

Puka Nacua was shaken up after his touchdown catch, but not because he was hurt. He just needed to throw up after landing on the ball.

Puka Nacua has given Rams fans far too many scares this season. Between his two knee injuries in training camp and Week 1, and then his third in practice before Week 9, he’s seemed to get banged up throughout the year.

He appeared to get hurt again on Sunday against the Patriots when he landed hard on his 12-yard touchdown catch in the end zone. He was slow to get up and was looked at by trainers on the field before going into the medical tent for further evaluation.

He returned on the Rams’ next drive, so everything checked out fine, and Sean McVay explained what actually happened during his postgame press conference.

“They were just being cautious with him because he threw up,” McVay said. “He fell on the ball and he’s crazy like that. There wasn’t anything with his head so he’s OK.”

Nacua is building an unfortunate history of throwing up. He puked on the sidelines during a game last season, threw up repeatedly on Cooper Kupp’s lawn while they were working out this summer and now this.

It’s not his fault he landed on the ball and made what was a spectacular catch. It just happened to be the way he went to the ground.

All that matters is he’s good to go after another 100-yard performance.

Rob Havenstein injury update: Latest news on Rams RT for Week 10

Rams RT Rob Havenstein suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks and is expected to miss at least one game

Just when the Los Angeles Rams were starting to get healthy, they were dealt another blow along the offensive line. Right tackle Rob Havenstein suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks and was unable to return.

Sean McVay didn’t have an update on the lineman after the game, but he provided further clarity on Havenstein’s status during his media session on Monday.

Rob Havenstein injury update

McVay told reporters that Havenstein is expected to miss Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins with his ankle injury. McVay did say “it’s nothing that’s IR,” indicating that Havenstein won’t be placed on injured reserve.

How long will Rob Havenstein be out?

Considering the Rams don’t expect to put Havenstein on IR, it’s expected that he’ll miss fewer than four games. McVay didn’t have an exact timeline for the right tackle’s return, but he shouldn’t miss more than three games – and it’s possible he’ll only miss the Rams’ next game.

Rams RT depth chart

The good news is that Joe Noteboom is expected to play against the Dolphins after missing the last seven games with an ankle injury of his own. He should be the replacement for Havenstein at right tackle, though Warren McClendon Jr. is also a candidate to fill in.

Rams will have to wait at least another week to get these key starters back from IR

Sean McVay doesn’t expect Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III to play this week

Puka Nacua made a surprising return from injured reserve last week after only turning in one practice but no one should expect a similar situation to play out with Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson or John Johnson III this week.

All three of those key starters are currently on injured reserve and eligible to come back at any time, but none of them have even been designated to return from practice. As a result, Sean McVay doesn’t see a scenario where they play this weekend against the Seahawks.

“Not this week. I don’t expect any changes in their status,” McVay said Wednesday.

Avila has been sidelined with a knee injury since Week 1, while Jackson and Johnson both suffered shoulder injuries in Week 2 against the Cardinals. There could be a chance they return next week when the Rams host the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, but for now, they’ll remain on injured reserve.

Rams place LB Troy Reeder on IR with hamstring injury

Troy Reeder will miss the Rams’ next four games with a hamstring injury after landing on IR

Troy Reeder was already ruled out for Week 8 but he’ll now miss three additionally games, too. On Thursday, the Rams placed Reeder on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

He missed practice all week and was ruled out Wednesday, so the Rams have prepared to be without him in this game.

Reeder has started all six games so far this season and was the defensive signal caller, wearing the green dot as the guy relaying the calls to the rest of the defense.

The Rams haven’t said who will replace him as the signal caller, but one candidate is Quentin Lake.

With Reeder out, Christian Rozeboom is expected to take on a larger role at linebacker, with Omar Speights and Jake Hummel potentially getting an opportunity on defense, too.

Report: Cooper Kupp unlikely to play today vs. Raiders

Cooper Kupp is unlikely to play today against the Raiders but the Rams still want to work him out pre-game before deciding on his status

There’s been hope all week that Cooper Kupp will be able to play against the Las Vegas Raiders today but it doesn’t seem he’ll be making his awaited return.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Kupp is unlikely to play for the Los Angeles Rams today as he continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. The Rams will still work Kupp out pre-game before making a final decision on his status, but as of now, he’s not expected to go against the Raiders.

Assuming Kupp misses his fourth straight game, the Rams will continue to roll with Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington as their top three receivers.

https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1847931426001293376

If Kupp sits out today, he’ll have a chance to return against the Vikings in the Rams’ next game, which is a quick turnaround on Thursday night.

Before getting injured, Kupp caught 18 passes in the first two games, once again looking like Matthew Stafford’s top target on offense.

Rams won’t activate OL Joe Noteboom from IR this week

Joe Noteboom will miss his fifth straight game with an ankle injury as the Rams will not activate him from IR this week

Joe Noteboom will have to wait another week to return from injured reserve. Sean McVay told reporters on Friday that the Los Angeles Rams will not activate Noteboom this week as he attempts to work his way back from an ankle injury suffered in Week 1.

Noteboom practiced all week but was limited, so it appears he’s not yet ready to return to game action. Alaric Jackson has been manning left tackle and is expected to continue doing so even when Noteboom returns.

The Rams’ offensive line is finally getting some cohesion up front with Jackson, Logan Bruss, Beaux Limmer, Kevin Dotson and Rob Havenstein, but Noteboom would provide valuable depth to the group as the sixth lineman – or potentially as the starting left guard in place of Bruss.

With Noteboom missing Sunday’s game, the next opportunity for him to play is next Thursday against the Vikings. The Rams only have three weeks to decide whether to activate him so he’s expected to return at some point in that time period.

Sean McVay gives update on Cooper Kupp’s status for Week 7 vs. Raiders

Sean McVay says Cooper Kupp is questionable to play against the Raiders and the decision will likely come on Sunday morning

Cooper Kupp returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 2 but Sean McVay still isn’t sure if the All-Pro receiver will play on Sunday afternoon against the Raiders.

McVay told reporters Friday that Kupp will be limited in practice again and the Rams are going to list him as questionable to play. The decision on Kupp will come closer to the game, likely on Sunday morning.

With three days of practice, it’s possible Kupp will be able to play against the Raiders but McVay isn’t yet ready to commit to him being available. Kupp sprained his ankle in Week 2 and has missed the last three games as a result.

In his first two games of the season, Kupp caught a total of 18 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown, looking like the All-Pro receiver he was in 2021. He was hampered by a hamstring injury last season but after an offseason of being fully healthy, he was poised to bounce back in a big way.

Unfortunately, this ankle injury has caused him to miss time but even if he doesn’t return this weekend, he has a good chance to be back next Thursday when the Rams host the Vikings.